The Lady Wisteria Mystery
by Aphocripha0
Summary: Sesshoumaru and Kagome's arranged marriage is spoiled by the death of Lady Wisteria, Sesshoumaru's aunt.
1. Author's Notes

Author's pre-notes:  
  
1) I'm Canadian so the spelling of some words may lapse between the British and American version (depending on spell-check)  
  
2) I like to use cultural references and Japanese words where applicable. Many you could probably figure out such as numbers etc. but if you're an anime fan it shouldn't be a problem.  
  
3) This is a Sesshoumaru/Kagome Fanfic  
  
4) Sesshoumaru (youkai, age:~130) is much older than Kagome (hanyou, age: ~22) however they look the same as their anime version.  
  
5) The story is set in the Sengoku Period  
  
6) I have every intention for this story to remain PG-13  
  
7) I do not own Inuyasha or Rumiko Takahashi's other characters  
  
8) I'm new at this fanfic thing so please be patient 


	2. A Wedding

I don't own Inuyasha or any of Rumiko Takahashi's characters ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
Chapter 1: A Wedding  
  
"It is my privilege to open this ceremony in which Lord Sesshoumaru and Lady Kagome Higurashi shall be united in marriage before the gods." Pudgy, nearsighted Noguchi Motoori-Inutaisho's best friend and the go-between who had arranged the match--solemnly addressed the assembly gathered in the Western Land castle's private reception hall.  
  
On this warm autumn morning, sliding doors stood open to a garden resplendent with scarlet maple leaves, and brilliant blue sky. Two mikos, clad in white robes and red hakamas, knelt at the front of the hall before the alcove, in which hung a scroll bearing the names of the kami--Shinto deities. Below this, a dais held the traditional offerings of round rice cakes and a ceramic jar of consecrated sake. Two maidens, wearing the hooded cloaks of Shinto shrine attendants, stood near the mikos. On the tatami to the left of the alcove knelt the bride's father and closest associates: stout, dignified, Daimyo Higurashi, her brother, Sota, and a few relatives and friends. To the right, the groom's party consisted of Sesshoumaru's father, Inutaisho, dressed in brocade robes and the cylindrical black cap of his rank, attended by several high ranked officials and Sesshoumaru's own attendant, Jaken. At the back of the hall, unbeknownst to most, stood a figure clad in an outfit made of red fire-rat fur. This was Sesshoumaru's half-brother, Inuyasha.  
  
Smirking to himself he thought, 'as of today, dear brother, your pompous behind is now going to be busy.yes.tied the knot so that you'll be out of my hair. Yes!'  
  
All eyes turned to the center of the hall, the focus of the ceremony.  
  
Sesshoumaru and Kagome knelt side by side before two small tables-he in black ceremonial robes stamped with his family's gold flying dog crest, his two swords, tensaiga and tokijin at his waist; she in white silk kimono and a long, white silk drape that completely covered her face and hair. They faced a flat porcelain dish containing a miniature pine and plum tree, a bamboo grove, the statues of a hare and a crane: symbols of longevity, pliancy, and fidelity. Behind them, Noguchi and his wife knelt at a table reserved for the go-between. As the mikos stood and bowed to the altar, Kagome's heart pounded. Her stoic dignity hid a turmoil of emotion.  
  
The last two years had brought her continuous, traumatic upheavals:  
  
1) The death of her beloved mother  
  
2) The move from her modest family home in the Nihonbashi merchant district in Matsuyama, to Tokushima, the seat of power for the island country of Shikoku  
  
3) A dizzyingly rapid rise in status and all the associated challenges.  
  
At times, she feared her mind and body could not withstand the relentless onslaught of change. Now she, a hime, was marrying a youkai-prince whom she met exactly once before, more than a year ago, at the formal meeting between their two families. His lineage was impeccable; his father one of the wealthiest and most powerful lords in all of Japan. However, they had never spoken; she knew nothing of his character. She barely remembered what he looked like, and would not see his face again until the end of the ceremony. To Kagome, the tradition of arranged marriage now seemed like sheer madness--a potentially disastrous pairing of strangers. What perilous turn had her fate taken? Was it too late to escape?  
  
One of the mikos swished a long wand tasselled with white paper strips, crying, "Evil out, fortune in! Whoosh! Whoosh!" to purify the room. Then she chanted an invocation to the Shinto gods Izanagi and Izanami, revered procreators of the universe.  
  
Hearing the words, Sesshoumaru sighed. He thought the formalities would never end. The ceremony was boring to him. In youkai society, there were no formalities such this. One would introduce their mate to the family and then the male would mark the female in their first night together. That was it.  
  
The drab ceremony today was only done to appease the Higurashi family since they were hanyou instead of full youkai. The thought of marrying a hanyou distgusted him slightly but he quickly brushed it away into the depths of his mind.  
  
No matter the risks, he needed this marriage. At the advanced age of one hundred and thirty, he was ready to make the decisive step into official adulthood, to take his place in youkai society as the head of his own family. His father would not pass onto him the Western lands otherwise. And he was ready for a change in his life.or was he?  
  
Other than rank and the desire for an heir, Sesshoumaru was indifferent about marriage in general. The girl, as he remembered, smelled lightly of cherry blossoms, and was decent looking.maybe even pretty. A part of him, though, disliked the fact that he now had another useless being following him around, but the rest could care less.  
  
The second miko played a series of high-pitched, wailing notes on a flute, while the first beat a sonorous accompaniment on a wooden drum. Now came the most solemn, sacred part of the wedding ritual. The music ceased. One attendant poured the consecrated sake into a long-handled brass ewer and brought it to Sesshoumaru and Kagome. The other attendant set before them a tray containing three flat, wooden cups, graduated in size, nested together. From the ewer, the attendants filled the first, smallest cup, bowed, and handed it to the bride. The assembly waited in hushed expectation.  
  
Kagome, her face still concealed beneath the white headdress, lifted the sake cup to her lips and drank. The process was repeated three times. Then the attendants refilled the up and passed it to Sesshoumaru. He drank his three draughts.  
  
A collective sigh passed through the assembly. The san-san-ku-do--the "three-times-three-sips pledge" would seal the marriage bond on hanyou terms. The attendant set aside the cup and filled the second one. This time Sesshoumaru drank first, three times, then Kagome did. After the third, largest cup was passed and the liquor sipped, the flute and drum music resumed. Sesshoumaru and Kagome were now joined in wedlock. Soon he would see her face again . . . 


	3. Death

I don't own Inuyasha or any of Rumiko Takahashi's characters ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
Chapter 2: Death  
  
Sesshoumaru barely heard the assembly's murmured blessings, because the attendants were lifting the white drape away from his new wife's head. She was turning toward him. . .  
  
Looking even younger than her twenty years, Kagome had a perfect oval face with a delicate chin and nose. Her eyes, like bright, black-blue flower petals, shown with somber innocence. On her high, shaved brow arched the fine lines of painted eyebrows. The white rice powder covered smooth, perfect skin, contrasting with the satiny black hair that fell from a center part to her shoulders. Her beauty took Sesshoumaru's breath away, though he would never admit it. Then Kagome smiled at him--the merest shy curving of dainty red lips before she demurely lowered her gaze. Sesshoumaru's heart clenched with a fierce, possessiveness as he gazed back, no emotions showing on his face.  
  
'That smile. . .it reminds me something. . .nonetheless one more being made to be called mine.' he sighed.  
  
The assembly stood as the attendants escorted Sesshoumaru and Kagome from the altar to their families. Sesshoumaru bowed slightly to Daimyo Higurashi and thanked him for the honor of joining the clan, while Kagome did the same to Sesshoumaru's father. Together they thanked the guests for coming. Then, after many more congratulations, thanks, and blessings, the party, led by Noguchi, moved through the carved doors and down the wide corridor toward the hall where the wedding banquet would take place and more guests waited.  
  
Sesshoumaru and Kagome took their seat at the heat table along with the immediate family. The rest of the clan along with friends and aquaintences took their places along the side. The sake began to pour and chatter began. No one noticed two shadowy figures leaving the room.  
  
Suddenly, from deep within the castle's interior, came loud, high-pitched screams, then the sound of running footsteps. Inutaisho paused and silenced the chatter around him.  
  
"What is that noise?" he asked, his aristocratic features darkening in annoyance.  
  
To his officials, he said, "Go and, ahh, determine the cause, and put a stop to--"  
  
Down the corridor toward the banquet stampeded hundreds of shrieking women, some dressed in the brilliant silk robes of the ladies-in-waiting, others wearing the plain cotton kimonos of servants, all holding their sleeves over their noses and mouths, eyes wide with terror. Palace officials stormed after them, shouting commands and trying to restore order, but the women paid no heed.  
  
"Let us out!" they cried, shoving guests up against the wall as they rushed past.  
  
"How dare these females treat me in this disrespectful manner?" Sesshoumaru said calmly but everyone felt the dagger dripping from his words. "Has everyone gone mad? Guards--stop them!"  
  
Daimyo Higurashi and the attendants shielded Kagome from the horde, which quickly expanded to include panicky guests pouring out of the banquet hall.  
  
"We're all doomed if we don't run!" shrilled the women.  
  
Now an army of guards appeared. They herded the hysterical women back to the castle interior. The wedding party and guests clustered in the banquet hall, where tables and cushions had been arranged on the floor, a troupe of frightened musicians clutched their instruments, and maids waited to serve the feast.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" Inutaisho straightened his tall black cap, knocked atilt in the scuffle. "I demand an explanation!"  
  
The guard commander bowed lightly to Sesshoumaru and then deeper to his father. "My apologies, Your Excellency, but there's been a disturbance near the servant's quarters. The honourable Lady Wisteria just died."  
  
The chief castle physician, dressed in the dark blue coat of his profession, added, "The cause of her death is unknown. The other ladies fled in panic, fearing the spread of a deadly poison."  
  
Murmurs of dismay rose from the assembly. Sesshoumaru raised an elegant eyebrow, "Poison? Do you mean to say there is an epidemic in the castle?. . .hmm"  
  
"The nuptial festivities must be cancelled," Daimyo Higurashi said with regret, "and the guests sent home. I will see to the arrangements."  
  
Kagome, though shocked by this calamitous end to her wedding, hastened to her father's side.  
  
Inutaisho stood by his eldest son, as they started down the corridor toward the women's quarters. Seshoumaru looked over his shoulder and saw Kagome, white bridal gown trailing behind her, being escorted out by her father and attendants. He felt extreme annoyance towards this unexpected disturbance. Had he not earned a little peace and happiness? Then Sesshoumaru suppressed a sigh. As heir to the Western Lands and head of the Inu clan, it was his responsibility to clean up this mess. Duty prevailed; once again. 


	4. Life

I don't own Inuyasha or any of Rumiko Takahashi's characters ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------  
  
Chapter 3: Life  
  
"I leave this all to you son," Inutaisho declared, a strange gleam in his eyes, 'yes it feels nice not to be in charge anymore.'  
  
With that, Inutaisho headed down the hall in the direction that the guests had gone.  
  
Sesshoumaru sense another being and looked down only to see his attendant, Jaken, at his heels. Without another word, Sesshoumaru headed towards the source of his annoyance.  
  
Upon reaching the room, Sesshoumaru's senses were bombarded by a pungent, acidic smell that slightly burned the inside of his nose.  
  
'Miasma. . . Lady Wisteria never had such a smell. . .'  
  
"Sesshoumaru-sama, please take a look at the room." Jaken said as he went into the room and rushed back out, obviously disgusted by something or another.  
  
Sesshoumaru calmly glided to the entrance of the room, which contained the metallic smell of blood. He quickly assessed the scene as a couple of his generals arrived.  
  
The room was a mess. The futon was hastily unrolled as if Lady Wisteria was feeling ill. The lamp, now ripped, and table, along with its contents, had been knocked over. The shoji doors and the fresh tatami mats were stained with splattered blood here and there. In the corner, he noted, the body Lady Wisteria young servant girl laid crumpled up, dead. Near the door, probably what Jaken had seen, was a torn silk kimono sleeve along with the, still fresh, arm inside. He would let the coroner deal with that.  
  
Sesshoumaru sniffed the air, 'No one has been here since the murder.'  
  
He turned to the group of youkai that had formed behind him and began giving out orders.  
  
"Summon the coroner to deal with the arm. Move the child's body to another room. Organize and file all possible evidence."  
  
They all bowed, "Hai, Sesshoumaru-sama."  
  
With that, Sesshoumaru left the crime scene and headed towards the guests, who were now lounging in the foyer area of the castle. As he neared, a familiar smell hit him.  
  
'Lady Wisteria. . .'  
  
He calmly follow the trail through the crowd but then, the scent suddenly disappeared.  
  
"Oh my, I do not feel very well. Do excuse me honourable Inutaisho. I should really be heading back to my lands."  
  
The crowd shifted slightly revealing his father conversion with Lord Naraku.  
  
"Arigato, Lord Naraku. Your presence here at my son's wedding was highly appreciated. Too bad all this had to occur," his father replied.  
  
"Ah, too bad indeed. . .anyhow. . .sayonara Inutaisho." Naraku responded. The two men slightly bowed to each other; then Naraku left.  
  
With that, Sesshoumaru stepped up to his father.  
  
"Have you discovered anything? The clan members are becoming skittish," his father said as father and son turned to gaze at each other.  
  
"No," was his reply.  
  
"By the way, did you know that Lady Wisteria is part of our clan?" Without waiting for answer, Inutaisho continued, "She married into the family some 300 years ago to my second cousin. . .hmm. . .I think, twice removed."  
  
"Interesting," Sesshoumaru replied blatantly.  
  
"Inutaisho?"  
  
"Ah, cousin Takeshi. It has been a while."  
  
Watching his father wander off with some uncle, Sesshoumaru decided nothing else could be accomplished here so he returned to the crime scene.  
  
The body of the child had been removed as he ordered. 'Good. I'm in the mood for some torturing.'  
  
Servants followed and lit the room that now contained the body of the dead girl. He bent down, picked the child up and drew tensaiga. With one swift motion, he slashed the air in front of the girl. Immediately, heartbeats were heard and shortly after, big brown eyes gazed up at emotionless gold ones.  
  
'Her eyes. . .they are filled with. . .innocence?'  
  
Realizing where she was, the child quickly shrank away from Sesshoumaru and moved to the other side of the room.  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
No answer.  
  
"Why were you hurt?"  
  
A shaky smile.  
  
'Maybe the child is mute.' Sesshoumaru pondered.  
  
"Answer my question, child," he pressed.  
  
'Maybe she is still in shock. . .and WHY am I, Sesshoumaru, caring. . .the wedding fiasco must have soften me. . .nonetheless, the child will speak eventually. . .'  
  
Standing up, Sesshoumaru slid open the door and told the servant to keep the child guarded at all times and to take good care of her.  
  
What was wrong with him today. His usual indifference towards these matters has been utterly changed. Maybe it was the atmosphere. Maybe all he needed was a little peace. There's still the girl he just got married to. Sighing, Sesshoumaru headed in the general direction of his personal quarters. 


End file.
